(Bloomberg) — Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa will face continued power outages for the next two to three months because the country’s state-owned utility can only meet 60 percent of demand, Capital reported.
The city of about 4 million people uses about 200 megawatts while the utility can generate 120 megawatts, the Addis Ababa- based newspaper said, citing Mihiret Debebe, the general manager of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corp.
The utility has installed 45 diesel generators in the city to cope with the shortage. Rain shortfalls this year have left reservoirs low in Ethiopia, which depends on hydropower for more than 90 percent of its electricity.
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To contact the reporter on this story: Jason McLure in Addis Ababa via the Johannesburg bureau at [email protected] Wessels in Johannesburg at [email protected]
This report mentions that EEPCO has about 1.3 million customers (including businesses). That is less than 10% of Ethiopian households. This figure is almost the same as 17 years ago when Woyanne came to power. So what happened to all the money borrowed from the World Bank to build power generating plants?
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Nairobi (HAN) – Last Year Ethiopia had an ambitious multi-billion-dollar plan to provide all its citizens with electricity within eight years (2015), as well as to supply some power to three neighboring countries, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan a top manager of the state-owned electricity company said.
Because he said, Ethiopia can do because it has a lot of potential to generate hydroelectric power, said Mihret Debebe, general manager of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation. The country is the source of a branch of the Nile River called the Blue Nile, which is believed to have huge power-generating potential. The Blue Nile merges with the White Nile in Sudan to flow into Egypt as the Nile River.
But, today The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO) on Thursday announced that it had faced a critical power shortage. Briefing reporters about electric power generation, Mihret Debebe, general manager of EEPCo, said that as part of the ongoing fast economic development activity noted in the country many factories had been established, adding that this had increased local demand for more electric power rather previous target to supply electricity to Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan.
“Factories which consume high electric power such as cement, textile and foundries have been established. Many new factories are being built and they need more energy,” Mihret said. EEPCO has 1,396,000 customers, 40 percent of them in Addis Ababa. Ninety-five percent of the customers are households and the rest is the industrial and service sector. However, the industrial and service sector, which accounts for only five percent of the number of customers, consumes 69 percent of the electric power.
At the moment EEPCo’s maximum electric generating capacity is 814 MW, 80 percent hydro and 20 percent geothermal and thermal. However, because of various reasons, including water shortage, the corporation generates only 600 to 700 MW. Unable to meet the growing demand EEPCo is now forced to start power shading.
Mihret said that the power deficit, at the moment, is 80 MW. “We are not the only country that is facing power shortage. South Africa is in a serious power crisis. In India and even in the US there is a power shortage. If we were connected with our neighbors we could have imported 80 MW,” Mihret said.
The increasing demand for electric power, coupled with the failed belg rain had worsened the situation. A turbulent time, indeed, awaits EEPCo at least until the rains start in June. Even then it can hardly meet the ever increasing demand. “Because of the favorable investment climate more investments are being made. This creates new demand. And power plants can not be erected overnight. We are victims of our success. This is a temporary problem. And let us all work together to overcome the problem,” Mihret said.
EEPCo is undertaking massive hydro-power projects. Tekeze( 300 MW), Gibe II (420 MW), Beles (460), Gibe III (1870) and Fincha Amenti Neshe (1000). It is also to construct a wind turbine farm which can generate 120 MW near Mekelle town.
The corporation plans to construct more than ten hydropower plants. It is also to build geothermal and wind power plants. The corporation needs 124 billion birr to realize the projects.
At the moment EEPCO is using diesel generators and because of the escalating price of oil in the global market the government is spending 100 million birr to subsidize thermal power production.
Tekeze seems the savior. Construction on the Tekeze hydro-power project is expected to be finalized in August this year. The project was delayed because of geological incidents that complicated the task.
Access to electricity stands at 22 percent and EEPCO plans to increase this figure to 50 percent in the next five years. The country plans to generate 6000 MW and to export the surplus power to Sudan Djibouti and Kenya.
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By Kaleyesus Bekele for HAN.
It is highly likely that Woyanne ‘investigators’ are fabricating stories and suspects for the missing gold from the National Bank of Ethiopia that worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Architects of Gold Scam Out of Country
(The Reporter, Addis Ababa) — Individuals who masterminded the recent gold fraud at the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) have left the country before police started to arrest suspects.
Reliable sources told The Reporter that the individual who first started to supply gold plated steel to the NBE was Asmare Ayalew. In 2005 Asmare’s close friend called Samson went to NBE with a forged gold export license named Kefeyalew Umeta Export. Samson, who used the fake identity, Ketyalew Umeta, as his name previously served in the Addis Ababa police commission with the rank of sergeant.
Samson (Kefyalew Umeta) gave a power of attorney to Asmare, which enabled Asmare to supply gold to NBE on behalf of Kefyalew Umeta and to receive payments. According to information obtained from NBE in 2006, Kefyalew Umeta supplied 239.36748 kg of gold with a total value of 35,924,502.59 birr.
From July to December 2007 Kefyalew supplied 222.9623 kg of “gold” valued at 35,974,160.34 birr. Sources told The Reporter that Asmare was supplying the product to NBE on behalf of Kefyalew Umeta and the payment was transferred to Asmare’s bank account in the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE). Sources said Asmare supplied the product to the NBE by bypassing the Ethiopian Geological Survey’s Central Geo-Chemical Laboratory which is supposed to inspect the gold. Asmare and Samson had wooden boxes which NBE gives to gold exporters.
They also had forged seal of the Ethiopian Geological Survey. According to information obtained from NBE, Kefyalew Umeta Export supplied 529 kg of “gold”, which only 30 kg was real gold. In 2005, the laboratory inspected 30 kg of gold brought by Kefyalew Umeta Export. The laboratory also inspected eight gm of real gold brought by Kefyalew but it was not supplied to NBE after the inspection.
According to sources, at least 200 million birr payment was transferred from NBE to Asmare’s account in CBE. Sources said Samson (Kefyalew Umeta) and Asmare left the country in September 2007. Sources added that Asmare now resides in the US while Samson is in Australia. Asmare helped other individuals who collaborated with him to get out of the country.
Asmare got an investment license to establish a big construction company here in Ethiopia which he used to legally send the money out of the country. Sources said Asmare opened a letter of credit at CBE claiming that he wanted to purchase heavy duty construction machineries from the US. The money was wired to a construction machinery manufacturing company in the US through City Bank. However, after Asmare went to the US he took the money from the company saying he had changed his mind. Asmare and Samson took their families with them.
The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s Prosecutor is expected to file charges against 26 suspects who are under custody accused of an alleged involvement in the gold fraud on the coming Monday. Sources said some of the business people under custody learnt about the fraud from Asmare and Samson.
When the commission took the case to the Federal High Court the file was called under the file of Kefyalew Umeta. However, now the file is called under the file of Mudesir Mohammed. Mudesir, owner of Sofam Enterprise, is in custody together with his four brothers and one nephew. Four individuals from the Ethiopian Geological Survey, seven from NBE and 15 business people and other individuals. According to the Federal Auditor General report, the NBE has lost 158 million birr. However, sources said Samson and Asmare defrauded the bank of over 200 million birr and this one was not included in the report. The court case is adjourned for 7 April.
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If it is true that a couple of individuals stole this much gold from the NBE (one of the most protected institution in the country), it only confirms what is already known: the Woyanne regime is a gang of dummies.
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Africa’s top athletes will be honoured in a new African athletics Hall of Fame award to be hosted in Ethiopia later this month, the continent’s governing body for the sport said on Saturday.
Seventy-two athletes, including track heavyweights Haile Gebreselassie, Hicham El-Guerrouj and Frankie Fredericks, have been chosen for the inaugural induction set to take place in a tribute gala on the eve of the 16th African Athletics Championships at the end of April.
“The event is meant to pay tribute to the best (African) athletes during the past 50 years,” Aminata Gueye, spokeswoman of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), told AFP.
Gueye said only Olympic gold medalists, world champions and record holders from the continent are eligible for the Hall of Fame, and plans are also underway to create an exhibition.
“The athletes, both male and female, were selected through their achievements. We went through records three or four months ago and came up with the list,” said the CCA’s presidential advisor, Jean-Emmanuel Pondi.
Five former greats, including Ethiopia’s twice-Olympic marathon champion Abebe Bikila, will also be given posthumous awards, Pondi added.
Over 1,200 participants are expected to compete in twenty-three events during the five-day tournament.
This year’s competition, which has cost Ethiopia more than two million dollars to organize, is one of a selected number of international fixtures whereby qualification for the Beijing Olympics can be secured.
The Woyanne-controlled kangaroo court in Ethiopia has handed down long-prison and death sentences against officials and military officers of the Derg regime today. Some of those who sentenced to death are air force pilots who had been accused of bombing civilian targets in Tigray region. There are, however, reports that some of the civilian bombings in Tigray were orchestrated by Woyanne. For the Woyanne tribalists, it’s appropriate to gun down students in Addis Ababa, wipe out villages in Ogaden, bomb markets in Mogadishus and kill thousands of civilians, but those who are accused of harming the ‘golden’ tribe face firing squads. The following is a report by Woyanne’s Ethiopian News Agency.
High Court passes down sentences on 19 genocide convicts
A/A, April 4, 2008 (Addis Ababa) – The Federal High Court on Friday passed down sentences ranging from death penalties to 19 years in jail on 19 genocide convicts while having deferred the sentence of one convict who is standing trial at an appeal court.
Five of the convicts have been sentenced to death, five of them to life, another five to 25 years and the other four to 19 years in jail.
Accordingly, Colonel Mengesha Hunde, Captain Tedesse Agonafir, Colonel Alemayehu Esatu, Major Markos Solomon and Major Getahun Kassa, all tried in absentia, have been sentenced to death.
The relevant Bench of the court also sentenced Captain Aboneh Negash, Captain Mesfin Mengistu, Captain Getachew Mengesha, Captain Zenebe Asfaw and Lieutenant Colonel Tilahun Bogale each to life in prison. These of convicts were also tried in absentia.
Lieutenant Jelcha Derra, Captain Dereje Abdissa, Captain Assefa Tegegn, Major Wondwosen Bekele and Lieutenant Colonel Yeshitla Mersha have been sentenced to 25 years in jail.
In a related development, of the five convicts who were tried in their presence, Colonel Berhanemeskel Haile received a sentence of 25 years reduced from a previous death sentence, Colonel Girma to 20 years from life, Colonel Solomon Kebede and Captain Kifle Wube to 19 years from 25 years.
The case of Captain Legesse Asfaw was deferred because he is standing trial after the special prosecutor and defense lawyers took the case to the Federal Supreme Court on appeal of a verdict passed by the Federal High Court.
Captain Legesse and most of the present convicts were found guilty of ordering the horrendous air raid at an open market day on Sene 15 (June 23) in 1980 E.C. in Hawzen in which thousands of civilians were massacred.
(NASA News) Dendi Caldera, Ethiopia is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 16 crew member on the International Space Station.
The Dendi Caldera is located on the Ethiopian Plateau, approximately 86 kilometers to the southwest of Addis Ababa. A caldera is a geological feature formed by the near-total eruption of magma from beneath a volcano, leading to collapse of the volcanic structure into the now-empty magma chamber. This collapse typically leaves a crater or depression where the volcano stood, and later volcanic activity can fill the caldera with younger lavas, ash, pyroclastic rocks, and sediments. While much of the volcanic rock in the area is comprised of basalt erupted as part of the opening of the East African Rift, more silica-rich rock types (characterized by minerals such as quartz and feldspar) are also present.
The approximately 4 kilometers wide Dendi Caldera includes some of this silica-rich volcanic rock — the rim of the caldera, visible in this view, is comprised mainly of poorly-consolidated ash erupted during the Tertiary Period (approximately 65 — 2 million years ago).
A notable feature of the Dendi Caldera is the presence of two shallow lakes formed within the central depression (center). This image also highlights a radial drainage pattern surrounding the remnants of the Dendi volcanic cone. Such patterns typically form around volcanoes, as rainfall has equal potential to move downslope on all sides of the cone and incise channels. No historical volcanic eruptions of Dendi are recorded, however the Wonchi Caldera 13 kilometers to the southwest (not shown) may have been active as “recently” as A.D. 550, say NASA scientists.
